Chapter 25 - The Digital LockdownBefore Isabella could turn and run toward the library exit, the lights overhead flickered violently and died.

BEEP.
Every computer monitor across the sprawling library simultaneously flashed a single, terrifying symbol: the stylized thorn piercing a shield.
The campus Wi-Fi network crashed instantly, disconnecting Isabella’s phone and severing her encrypted connection to Marcus’s private security detail.
"You're trapped, Izzy," Julian’s voice echoed in the darkened, cavernous hall as emergency red backup lights snapped on. "The library doors are electromagnetically sealed from the master console in the basement. No signal gets in. No signal gets out."
Isabella didn't panic. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but her mind snapped into survival mode—the same survival mode that had kept her alive on the streets and in the abandoned warehouse a decade ago.
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She grabbed her heavy backpack, vaulted over the study table, and bolted toward the emergency fire stairwell in the rear corner of the floor.
"Run all you want!" Julian’s mocking laughter echoed down the colonnade. "The campus is empty for Thanksgiving weekend. Nobody is coming for you!"